REVIEW: On Test - Frost Liquid Wrap

Is it the cheapest and easiest way of colour - changing parts of your car? There's only one way to find out!

(Words and Photos: Performance Ford, September 2014 issue)

If you’re reading this mag, the chances are that you like to modify your car on occasion. It’s fair to assume that the motivation of any car modder is to personalise it and make it their own. This personalisation can take many forms, from more power to big wheels. But generally the easiest and most prominent way of doing so is to change the colour of something or some things.

The problem with having things painted is that it’s quite labour intensive, with all the prep work that is required to get a good result. It’s also quite permanent. There is a wide range of options when it comes to giving things the personal touch, and the most recent one to join the party is “liquid wraps”. They are basically a coating that is applied in several thin layers, layers that dry to form a semi-permanent skin on the surface to which they are applied. We were intrigued by this, and so thought we’d give it a try!

What they say:

Frost Liquid Wrap builds up to a professional finish, not only visually, but as a protection for the original paint work, alloy, plastic, rubber or any exterior or interior surface to which it is applied.

Specially designed to be sprayed on, this rubber coating spray is manufactured specifically for use on vehicles and produces a smooth and flawless, texture-free near perfect finish.

Conclusion:

For starters, this process is very quick and easy. Well, it was for this test anyway. Which is a massive bonus for anyone who doesn’t have their time for all of the prep work involved in having things painted. From start to finish, the wheel took us no longer than an hour to do.

The second thing that impressed was the finish of the product. We weren’t sure what to expect, but it actually looks very similar to a powder-coated finish. The thin coats mean that there are no runs and as you can see from the picture, it’s very even throughout. Given that it’s labelled as rubber coating, it doesn’t really have that feel or finish, so don’t be put off by that.

At £8.25 for a 400ml can such as the one we used, you could easily change the colour of a set of 13” wheels for less than £20, but with a finish you won’t be ashamed of. Frost state that it can be used on a variety of surface, so there would be nothing to stop you liquid wrapping interior trim parts, engine bay trim, exterior details – even change the colour of rubber bump strips – with the best part being that if you don’t like it, simply peel it off! It’s certainly given us a few ideas as there is no reason why you couldn’t do a whole car with it. But that’s a conversation for another day.

1. So we are starting with something fairly simple - a 13" Superlite wheel

2. First step is to clean it up - removing all grease, dust and moisture. We used Frost's Panel Cleaner

3. Then gave it a good wipe off

4. Leaving the wheel nice and clean

5. We wanted to see how it masks-off, and wanted a shiny rim, so we masked the outer edge

6. The Liquid Wrap needs to be applied in five to six thin coats, so we start off with a very ligh dust coating

7. From here we gradually built it up with serveral thin coats as instructed

8. We found that it didn't spray very well with the can held horizontally, and so help the wheel upright